Happy Birthday Mrs. Jeff Gordon!

Today is a special day in the life of Mrs. Jeff Gordon, better known as Ingrid Vandebosch. It is her 39th birthday. She was born on Nov. 8, 1969 in her native land of Limburg, Belgium.

Vandebosch, two years older than husband and NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon, is a model by profession. She began her career with a Belgium modeling agency in the mid-1990s.

She did a stint in Paris as a model before coming to the United States. Once in the U.S., her modeling career took off and in 1990, she won the Elite Look of the Year Award. 

Ingrid has worked for Christian Dior and Amway and has appeared in Vogue, ELLE, and Glamour magazines. She also had a role in the movie Taxi in 2003.

She was introduced to Jeff Gordon by mutual friends, but the pair did not start dating until mid-2004. After a whirlwind romance, Gordon and Vandebosch announced their engagement on June 24, 2006.

The couple was married in an exclusively private ceremony in Mexico on Nov. 7, 2006, the day before Ingrid's birthday. The wedding took place at the Amphitheatre of Hacienda de San Antonio in Comala, Colima, Mexico.

One month later, Gordon and Vandebosch announced the happy news that they were expecting their first child together. On June 20, 2007, the couple welcomed daughter Ella Sofia, weighing in at seven pounds, one ounce, and 20-inches long.

Vandebosch and Ella Sofia are frequent fixtures at the track, often visiting with Gordon during race weekend festivities. One of Ella's favorite things seems to be sitting in daddy's car, leading to rumors of future racing ambitions for Gordon's young daughter.

Meanwhile, Ingrid continues working on her modeling career, appearing most recently in the Sports Illustrated 2008 issue as part of a spread of other celebrity wives.  Vandebosch continues to be a working mom but is also totally focused on her husband's career and taking care of her baby girl.

So, happy birthday Ingrid, and here’s hoping that Jeff and Ella find some special way to celebrate with you this race weekend in Phoenix!

Photo Credit Ellen Siska.